During the period prior to the first king of Israel, the people were governed by "judges" (who were lead by God, verse 18). A few of the most well known judges were Eli, Samuel, Samson, and Gideon, but the period of time that God used judges to govern His people actually began with Moses. Moses was followed by Joshua and then Joshua was followed by others.
It can be seen from the following texts that the Period of Judges was not a continuous one but rather the Lord sent a judge to rescue the people after they called on Him for help, but it can also be seen that most of the time the people did not even listen to the judges (verse 17).
Judges
2:6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of
Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
2:7 And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD,
that he did for Israel.
2:8 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, [being] an
hundred and ten years old.
2:9 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the
mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
2:10 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there
arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works
which he had done for Israel.
2:11 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served
Baalim:
2:12 And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of
the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that
[were] round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD
to anger.
2:13 And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
2:14 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them
into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of
their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their
enemies.
2:15 Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for
evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were
greatly distressed.
2:16 Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the
hand of those that spoiled them.
2:17 And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring
after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the
way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; [but]
they did not so.
2:18 And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge,
and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge:
for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that
oppressed them and vexed them.
2:19 And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, [that] they returned, and
corrupted [themselves] more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve
them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from
their stubborn way.
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